The use of micro-level discourse markers in British and American feature-length films: Implications for teaching in EFL contexts

Abstract

Discourse markers (DMs) are significant for fluent speech. Furthermore, they are essential elements of language for conversation organisation, reciprocal relation of interlocutors, productive speaking and comprehension. Although they have critical functions for pragmatic development, they are neglected in language teaching either because of the belief that they are challenging to teach or as a result of the focus on grammatical competence in language teaching. This study examined the use and functions of micro-level DMs in British and American feature-length films, and it provided implications for using feature-lengths films as a means for authentic language input in explicit or implicit teaching of DMs. The scripts of four films (two British and two American) were analysed using the AntConc Concordance program. The results showed that there is not a significant difference between British and American films regarding the frequency of DMs well, like, and you know. On the other hand, it was found that oh was used more frequently in British films than American films. The functional analysis of the DMs showed that both British and American feature-length films represent the use of English DMs in native discourse. Therefore, the study concludes that the films could be used for teaching and learning of DMs in foreign language classrooms. The results were discussed with pedagogical implications.